


all of the lights land on you

by smolsarcasticraspberry



Series: LLB-verse [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: F/M, Oral Sex, Smut, additional scene for love lies bleeding, shallura - Freeform, the porn that goes with the plot that's in the other thing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-04
Updated: 2019-01-04
Packaged: 2019-10-03 21:53:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,309
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17292119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smolsarcasticraspberry/pseuds/smolsarcasticraspberry
Summary: after weeks of gazing at each other like dorks and not doing anything about it, they finally do something about it WINK WONK





	all of the lights land on you

**Author's Note:**

> hey. so. this is an omake or additional scene for [love lies bleeding](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14529321/chapters/33570030), so if you have not read that fic and don't want to get spoiled on it - quit now! read LLB first! then come back!
> 
> i wrote this a while ago and shared it with a few friends, but i always meant to come back and maybe write a proper beginning for it or something? but i never quite got around to it, so i've just left it as is. this fic picks up directly from chapter 14 of LLB, and elaborates on the love scene in that chapter, hence why it just sort of _starts_. again: meant to write some lead-in, gave up, here it is, it's just porn. enjoy the detailed frickle-fracking, as it were.
> 
> interestingly enough this lil' slice of smutty goodness contains some actual worldbuilding and details that flesh out some of LLB's lore, so... there's that too. alright enough of me going on about it. lo, i present to you: SMEXY TIMES

"Make love to me, _marksglow_ ," she says.

So he does.

Kissing him still feels like magic; she has dreamed about it for so long she can hardly believe it's happening. But he is there, real and warm in her arms, and she melts into the way he touches her. He kisses her hungrily, his tongue pressed into her mouth, his hands wrapped around her body as he draws her close.

They leave their clothes in a scattered trail across the room. Shiro's tunic and vest, tugged off over his head and discarded on the sofa - and Allura runs her hands over his bare chest and feels fire in her veins. Her dress, hastily unlaced, dropped to the floor where she wriggles out of it, laughing breathlessly as the fabric falls to the floor. Shiro's trousers, kicked off near the foot of the bed; her undergarments, flung aside in her rush to have every inch of her bare skin pressed to Shiro's body.

They have been naked around each other before, of course, when they bathed in mountain streams or forest pools. But Shiro never looked at her. Now, his gaze strays over her body, and the fire that she sometimes saw in his eyes burns bright and fierce. He draws her into another insistent kiss; and she feels weeks' worth of longing and wanting wash over her as he claims her heart and her body, and warmth pools in her core as she claims him in return.

Her legs hit the bed, and she scrambles awkwardly onto the mattress - trying to keep Shiro close all the while. He follows her, equally desperate, as if he craves her touch and cannot live without it. He lies beside her, one leg hooked over hers, his lips roaming her jawline and her neck as he settles next to her on the bed.

Now, finally, he touches her the way she has dreamed of being touched ever since she first met him. His hand glides up her side, up and over the swell of her breast, until he brushes her peaked nipple with his thumb. She groans, helplessly, as a surge of pure desire washes over her. She clutches at Shiro's shoulders as he kisses further down her collarbone, his tongue flicking out to brush the swirling lines of pink on her skin. She arches up into him, not caring how desperate she seems, as she chases after his touch.

He palms her breast more fully just as his lips reach her other nipple, and he circles the tender nub with his tongue before sucking it into his mouth. Allura cries out; she grabs a fistful of his hair and presses her body close to him. His teeth graze her tender flesh just lightly, and the sensation makes her groan aloud as another flood of arousal hits her. The marks on her body tingle and pulse with energy as Shiro's hands and lips work their magic on her skin.

She is desperate, now. She shifts her leg and feels Shiro hard against her thigh - thick and long and warm, pressed to her leg - and it is too much. She needs him so urgently she can barely breathe.

"Takashi, please," she begs. "Please, I need you now, please."

Shiro looks up at her, and she sees her own desperation mirrored in his eyes.

"Now?" he whispers, and Allura nods, not trusting herself to speak.

Shiro's hand drops to her hip, and he skims down her thigh and back up until his fingers find her outer folds. Allura trembles at the slightest contact; her core is so hot and aching with desire that any touch, any slight pressure, sends ripples of pleasure coursing away through her veins. Shiro meets her gaze, and his eyes stay locked to hers as he slides one finger into her crease and strokes her gently.

"Oh, Goddess, please," Allura gasps. She is already slick and wet and open, so that Shiro's finger glides through her folds with ease. He finds her entrance and plunges his finger inside, and she cries out and presses up into his hand, desperate for any contact at all.

"Ah - please - I need you - inside me," she breathes. She doesn't care that it sounds filthy. She just _wants_ him.

He responds with a kiss that carries the taste of his own desire. He is desperate, too, it seems. His hand withdraws and he shifts until he is lying between her spread legs, and Allura trembles in anticipation of being thoroughly, completely his. She feels him line up to her, and she could swear his hands are shaking as he does.

He slips into her, and Allura groans as the pleasure utterly engulfs her. It is not just the sensation of having him inside her, stretching her out and filling her so perfectly, so completely. It is also the surge of energy that rushes through her as their quintessence aligns. They are perfectly harmonised, and Shiro's energy ripples into her from the place where their bodies are joined.

She wonders if he feels it, too. He buries his head in her shoulder, breathing heavily, as if he is as overwhelmed by the sensations as she is. She clings to his back and huffs out shaky breaths against his skin as the quintessence surges inside her, and her whole body tingles and thrums with desire.

Shiro lifts his head and looks at her, eyes burning.

"Good?" he whispers.

Allura nods. She leans up and kisses him, and he responds eagerly, his tongue slipping into her mouth to taste her once again.

He begins to move in her, slowly and deliberately, and every thrust of his hips into hers makes Allura gasp and clutch at his back. The way it feels… so perfectly connected, so _right_ , so _complete_ … it robs her of breath, of reason, of any thought at all except the need for more of him. Shiro peppers her cheeks and neck with hot kisses; his tongue laps at her throat as he keeps going, keeps moving, taking her deep and slow.

But she needs more of him. She _needs_ it. The delicate _ylin_ ridges on her inner walls begin to swell and grow sensitive, as her quintessence responds to the way Shiro moves inside her. She aches for release that only he can bring.

"Takashi," she gasps. "Please…"

She grabs his hips and urges him to go faster, and he picks up his pace in response. He thrusts more forcefully, spurred on by her encouragement, and his eyes search her face for her approval.

The head of his cock rubs against her _ylin_ ridges, and Allura cries out desperately at the sensation. She can feel the _ylin_ points along his length - a line of sensitive nubs below the tip that caress her inner walls with every stroke. The heat of desire courses through her like wildfire, until she tingles all over, undone with lust and joy.

Shiro kisses her again, rough and hungry, and his hand tangles into her hair. He leaves hot, open-mouthed kisses along her jaw and throat as he moves in her, and Allura gasps and clings to him, and every rock of his hips sends bursts of pleasure coursing through her veins.

Release builds within her - the first ripples of impending ecstasy dance tantalisingly under her skin, drawing wordless broken cries from her lips.

"Yes," she breathes, "Goddess yes… please…"

Shiro buries his head in her shoulder, and his hand grips her waist, and he thrusts into her with increasing desperation.

"Goddess… Allura…" he groans into her ear. And then more words pour out of him, in Hon-sun this time, as if he has no other way to express the depth of his feelings except in a language she doesn't understand. The sound of it makes Allura gasp and press her body up into his; his voice, half-wild with desire, and the musical words she cannot decipher, rich and lyrical as they roll off his tongue and onto her skin.

He slows in his pace a little, but only so that he can sink himself deeper inside her. He lifts his head to look down at her - to watch her face as he fills her more completely than ever - and the fire in his eyes sends shivers down Allura's spine. Every thrust he makes into her body rubs against the _ylin_ ridges on her walls, until she is gasping and breathless with the feel of it.

Quintessence pulses through her; her own energy, awakened and alive, and Shiro's quintessence seeping into her. The light in her body marks rises and falls like a heartbeat, in time to the rocking of his hips.

"Please," she gasps. "Goddess, I need you…"

She grabs his hips again and urges him to go faster, and he picks up her urgency and responds. The marks on his cheeks blaze and pulse in time to her own, and he drops his head to her neck once more and huffs desperate cries into her shoulder. He takes her faster, as deep as he can go, as if he has also given up trying to hold back and is utterly lost in the need for her.

She cannot find words to tell him how good this feels. She can sense her climax building inside her, and all she can do is cling to Shiro's back and throw her head back on the pillow and ride out the waves of desire and delight that come thick and fast. Shiro's ragged breaths echo her own, and she turns her head into his neck and presses her hand to his side and gasps against his skin.

It does not take her long to finish - not like this. Not with their energies perfectly aligned and their bodies so in sync. And she has waited so long to touch him, to hold him, to be with him like this… in the end, the longing spills over into frantic desperation. Shiro takes her roughly, his need an eager echo of her own, and she surrenders completely to his touch.

His hand fists tight into her hair, and he thrusts harder, and the movement sends ripples of pleasure dancing away through Allura's body. Every stroke has him rubbing against the ridges inside her - and the feeling is so deliciously perfect she cannot focus on anything else. The world falls away and there is nothing but Shiro, his body joined with hers, filling her so completely, driving her towards her release. His back is slick with sweat beneath her hands; his breath a ragged symphony in her ears. His fingers dig into her hip and he groans against her neck and she knows he is close, too; she can sense it in his energy, and in the frantic way he moves in her.

She clings to him, gasping and wild, on the very edge. And she needs just a little more… just a little…

Her climax breaks over her, and she cries out and arches up instinctively as pleasure bursts into life in her core and ripples away through her body. The ecstasy comes in waves so intense they drive every rational thought from her mind. There is only sensation; only the relief of her ruin. Shiro strokes her through it as the marks on her body shine bright - but he cannot hold out any longer. He buries himself inside her and comes in an echo of her own undoing. His quintessence surges through her, and he groans and cries out as he rides out his pleasure.

They lie still for a long moment, unable to do anything but breathe heavily and let the aftershocks subside. Allura's body trembles, and flickers of pleasure dance away under her skin as her heartrate gradually slows and settles. Shiro's hand loosens in her hair, and as she comes back down to earth he sprinkles tiny kisses on her shoulder.

He lifts his head and gazes down at her. The marks on his cheeks shimmer white, and he gives her a breathless smile.

"Good?" he asks simply.

She chuckles, still completely wrecked. "Perfect."

He brushes his nose gently against hers, and she smiles up at him.

"We should do that again," she whispers.

He huffs a laugh. "Can you give me a few minutes?"

She dissolves into giggles, and nods. Shiro shifts above her, as if he means to move away, but Allura tightens her legs around his waist and shakes her head.

"No - no. Don't move," she says. "I like you like this."

Shiro gives her a look that is steeped in sinful confidence.

"You mean you like me inside you?" he asks. "Is that it?"

Allura bites her lip. But she cannot deny the comment, as filthy as it is. Not when she was begging him for exactly that, not so long ago. She nods.

Shiro grins, and she senses his delight at the admission. He leans down and kisses her, deeply and possessively, running his tongue over hers in a languid caress. He stays buried within her for as long as he can, drawing out the sensation of being joined together so intimately and so perfectly.

He pulls back from the kiss eventually and shakes his head.

"I have to - I'm sorry," he says, and Allura nods.

He slips out of her, and she whines at the loss of him. He flops down onto the bed beside her, flat on his back and staring at the canopy. Allura rolls over, and sits up enough to gaze down at him. His chest rises and falls as he gets his breath back, and she runs her hand over his skin. The secondary marks on his body glow faintly in the dim light - evidence of the intensity of his feelings - and a thrill runs down Allura's spine.

She traces the secondary marks with her finger: three circles on his sternum, two chevrons beneath his ribs, and a swirling line under his navel. Shiro plays with her hair and watches her with an expression of almost awed reverence.

"They don't normally show up this clearly," he says.

"What are you saying?" Allura asks playfully.

"That you do something special to me," Shiro tells her.

His gaze is so earnest and sincere that it makes Allura blush. She leans in and kisses him softly.

"Keep still," she whispers against his lips.

He quirks an eyebrow at her, but makes no complaint as she kisses his cheeks and his neck. She presses her lips to the three circles on his chest; the glow still has not faded, and the marks must be sensitive, because Shiro groans at the contact. She explores him slowly with her lips and hands, feeling her way around the shape of his body, and Shiro hums contentedly as she claims him with her touch.

He gives her time to get the feel of him before he rolls her over onto her back to repay the favour. Allura gazes up at him, and he grins down at her.

"My turn," he says.

She smiles as he kisses her, and then he sets off on his quest to discover the hidden spaces of her body. His touch is delicate; his kisses hot and sweet against her skin. He traces the glowing marks that cover her body, and she tingles all over as her quintessence responds to him instinctively. He caresses her breasts, and she gasps and groans as his tongue teases at her nipples. He runs his hands over her belly and hips and then presses kisses to the softly glowing marks he finds there. After weeks of hardship and sorrow and sadness, his touch awakens her; the simple pleasure of being with him, of being so unreservedly adored, fills her with warmth and lightness.

Shiro's mouth reaches her hips, and he pauses in his exploration and looks up at her. The sight of him lying between her legs is exquisite.

"I have an idea," he says.

He slides off the bed and kneels on the floor. Then he grabs her legs and pulls her towards him, so that Allura lets out a yelp of surprise, followed by a delighted chuckle. Shiro hooks her legs over his shoulders and gives her a look that conveys exactly what he has in mind. A rush of heated desire pools in Allura's belly, and her breath hitches.

Shiro kisses up the inside of her thigh - slowly, deliberately, teasing her with every touch. Wetness floods her core; she is so ready for his mouth on her that she trembles just thinking about it.

"Hang on," she breathes. She twists around enough to grab a couple of the huge pillows, and places them behind her head so she can prop herself up. The angle affords her an excellent view of Shiro where he kneels in front of her.

"Better?" he asks with a grin.

She nods, and he places another tantalising kiss on her thigh.

"You wanna watch me do it, is that it?" he asks.

Trust Shiro to pick up on _exactly_ what's going through her mind. But the way he looks at her is so warm and reverent that she doesn't care. She nods again.

"Can you blame me?" she asks teasingly. "The view's pretty good."

He grins, and begins. He kisses her thighs, working slowly upwards until she is gasping at every brush of his lips; every warm breath exhaled against her skin. She watches him the whole time, one hand lazily tangled in his hair - and she has definitely dreamed of this, more times than she cares to admit, but the reality is so much hotter than she ever imagined. By the time Shiro runs his tongue through her crease she is already slick and open; already breathless and ready.

Nevertheless, he takes his time with her. He laps lazy lines up her fold, and swirls his tongue around her clit until she groans and tightens her hand in his hair. He presses harder, his mouth deliciously hot against the most sensitive part of her, and she cries out in response. A few more firm licks have her arching up into him, and his hands run up her thighs to hold her hips.

He eases back down to gentle strokes of his tongue, and Allura relaxes back onto the bed. She lets him lead; lets him set the pace, trusting in his ability to bring her the ecstasy she so eagerly craves. She surrenders to the expert motions of his tongue and urges him on with soft cries of approval. He alternates between gentle touches and firmer pressure, and he looks up at her from between her thighs, his dark eyes beautiful and intense.

Quintessence flows through her once more - a gentle pulse that grows stronger and more insistent as Shiro's tongue beckons her towards release. Her hand grips the sheets and she moans as she draws closer to her climax, and her breath comes ragged in her chest. She lifts her hips and presses herself into his mouth, begging for more, and Shiro senses her urgency. He sucks her clit into his mouth, coaxing out her pleasure with his lips and tongue, and Allura gasps.

"Yes," she breathes, "ah - yes - please…"

She tightens her grip in his hair so that she can keep him right where she wants him, and he swirls his tongue over her clit and sucks again. Energy rises within her, and she throws back her head and lets it wash over her.

Her orgasm hits her like a wave, and every mark on her body lights up at once. Pleasure blossoms inside her, heady and intense, and wordless cries scatter from her lips like prayers to the Goddess. Shiro teases her through it, his mouth pressed to her core and his hands on her hips, licking and sucking until she is utterly spent and gasping. Aftershocks ripple through her as she loosens her grip on the sheets. She closes her eyes and basks in the sudden high of Shiro's quintessence mingling with hers, and the way her body's marks respond to his energy.

He pulls back, and leaves gentle kisses on her thighs. Allura tosses aside the pillows and eases herself back onto the bed, still tingling all over, and Shiro follows her. He kisses his way back up her body - feather-light touches, and delicate flickers of his tongue, as if he means to taste the glow in her marks. Finally, he lies above her once again, his weight propped on his arms, and gives her a look that is _definitely_ a confident, self-satisfied smirk.

Not that she can blame him. He deserves to feel pleased with himself right now.

"How's that?" he asks.

She chuckles, and answers him with a kiss. He deepens it hungrily, and as his body presses to hers she feels the hard length of him against her thigh. She wraps her arms around him and groans into his mouth, and he rubs himself against her. He kisses down her jaw until he captures her earlobe between his teeth and pulls gently.

"I want you again," he whispers in her ear, and the words burn through her, hot and wild; a reminder of how much Shiro needs her. He pulls back to look at her, and there's fire in his eyes. She cannot deny him, or resist him. There is no part of her heart that ever wants to.

"I'm yours, Takashi," she breathes.

He kisses her again, and aligns his hips with hers. She is still slick and wet from his earlier attentions; still aching for his touch on her body. They fit together so perfectly that he slips inside her easily, effortlessly; and her body opens up for him as if they have been lovers for years. She catches her breath as he fills her, and a surge of quintessence ripples through her.

This time, he takes her slowly, so that she has time to revel in the feeling of being his. He moves into her in deep strokes, and each unhurried thrust has her gasping and moaning. Shiro's energy mixes with hers, rippling up her spine, and her marks take on the glow of his quintessence. Her _ylin_ ridges grow sensitive once more, and she feels herself begin to unravel.

Shiro watches her face, his eyes sparkling; he takes her hand from his waist and lays it on the pillow by her head, so that he can thread his fingers between hers. The gesture is so sweet and simple that Allura smiles, even as her breath hitches. Shiro kisses down her neck and shoulder, and he gasps against her skin as his own _ylin_ points swell up and stroke against the warm inner walls of her cunt, and Allura closes her eyes and loses herself in the sensation.

"How do you feel so good?" He groans it into her neck - a rhetorical question, surely. But there is an actual answer to it.

"It's quintessence," Allura breathes.

Shiro lifts his head to look down at her quizzically. It's hard to string words together when they're tangled up in each other like this - with Shiro so deep inside her, his body pressed to hers, their fingers entwined, their energies merging and flowing together. But she tries, anyway.

"Our energies are aligned," she murmurs.

"Is that why everything feels tingly?" Shiro asks. He eases back and thrusts into her, slow and deep, and Allura moans and bites her lip as her quintessence surges and peaks in response. She nods.

"You feel that?" she asks, her voice rough and hazy with desire.

"Yeah," Shiro breathes. He grins at her. "Feels like magic."

He does it again - another slow thrust, another ripple of energy - and his hand tightens in hers. Light shimmers in his cheek marks, pulsing like a heartbeat, and he presses hot kisses to her jaw and her neck as she groans.

"It's sacred alchemy," she whispers. She grips his hip, and turns her head to nuzzle into his neck and touch her lips to his heated skin. Shiro turns and brushes his nose against hers; captures her lips for an insistent kiss.

"You think the Goddess approves?" he asks teasingly.

"Definitely," Allura groans.

His next thrust is so deliciously deep that Allura cries out and arches up into his body, and he laughs breathlessly.

"Is that why you keep calling out for Her?" Shiro asks. He grins at her - the same confident, knowing smile he wears whenever he flirts with her - and Allura chuckles.

"Don't tease me," she says, the words brushed against his lips as she kisses him.

"I'm not," he murmurs, and she believes him. He smiles as he kisses her, and she parts her lips and runs her tongue over his and holds him close.

He picks up his pace, rocking his hips into hers in a steady rhythm, and Allura forgets about trying to talk and just gives into it. Shiro kisses her lips - her jaw - her neck; he finds the mark glowing on her collarbone and runs his tongue along the length of it, sending delighted shivers down Allura's spine. Pressure builds within her; a knot of pleasure waiting to burst free. Shiro rubs against the _ylin_ ridges inside her with every thrust, and the _ylin_ points along his length send delightful ripples coursing through her, and her quintessence responds eagerly to his body and his touch.

He whispers more words to her in Hon-sun, his voice thick and rough with arousal, and Allura runs her hand up the sweat-slick skin of his back and kisses his shoulder. She gasps against his mouth as he leans in for another kiss; she throws back her head and lets him kiss her throat, his tongue hot against her heartbeat as she groans aloud.

"Still good?" he asks, and he is so sweet and eager for her approval that she chases his lips for another kiss.

"Perfect." She huffs it against his skin, too far gone into her own heady desire to say more than a few words at a time. "Keep going. Ah - yes - keep going."

He goes faster, and the increased pace has her crying out as her _ylin_ ridges swell up in response to the stimulation. She senses Shiro's desperation in the way his energy ripples through her; in the frantic touch of his lips against her skin. The feeling of being wanted so completely is intoxicating.

"Goddess, I need you," he groans into her ear.

He releases her hand, and kneels up between her legs, lifting her hips up as he goes. She lies on his thighs, her legs wrapped around his waist, and he gazes down at her spread out in front of him. In the crackling firelight he looks ethereally beautiful above her: his skin warm and radiant, his eyes bright, his secondary marks already starting to glow.

He takes hold of her waist and begins to move in her again, and he thrusts harder and faster as he seeks his own release within her body. Allura cries out, overcome with desire; she flings out her hand and clutches at the sheets - the pillows - anything within reach. Shiro's thumbs rub circles on her belly as he takes himself deep into her cunt, and his hands run up her abdomen until he caresses her breasts. The sensation is heavenly; the rush of quintessence from his body leaves her gasping and begging.

"Oh, please - yes - like that."

Shiro groans aloud, and his enjoyment is obvious in the flush of his cheeks and the bright sparkle in his eyes. He goes deeper with every thrust, and the angle has his _ylin_ points rubbing against her own sensitive ridges _just_ right, _just so_ … Allura cries out again, her body arching off the mattress, craving her release.

She is so close she can taste the pleasure, just out of reach, and Shiro watches her face as she surrenders to him. She takes in the sight of him, muscular and strong, fire in his eyes, and wild desire runs through her veins. He is all she has ever wanted, and his body fits hers so perfectly, and the sensation of his cock stroking against the sensitive nubs deep inside her has her silently praying to the Goddess that he can be hers forever.

"Ah - Allura," he groans, her name like an incantation on his lips.

"Ah - Takashi - yes, please, yes." Pleasure rises within her, and she is on the edge of her undoing, breathless and gasping and desperate.

The ecstasy rises like a flood in her veins, and she comes hard. Shiro grabs her waist and strokes her through the throes of it, and she cries out as she clenches around him, deliciously tight and full of him, almost overwhelmed by the surge of quintessence that rushes through her. Her marks light up, and every pulse of pleasure has them tingling and glowing beneath her skin.

Shiro leans over and grabs the headboard, and he takes her hard and rough as he seeks his own release. Allura runs her hands up his chest and feels his ragged heartbeat under her palms; she lets her quintessence pour into him - lets the afterglow of her pleasure seep into his skin and hasten his own climax.

It does not take long. A few more desperate, wild thrusts, and then he buries himself deep inside her and cries out as he comes. Allura holds him through every shuddering breath as he rides out his release, his length trembling inside her, and the feel of him is delicious and hot and wild all at once.

His breath comes back to him slowly, and he loosens his grip on the headboard.

"How's that?" Allura asks, and Shiro grins.

"You're perfect," he murmurs, and her heart melts.

He pulls out slowly and lies down beside her, and Allura tucks herself into his arms and runs her hands up his side and back in lazy lines. Shiro cups her cheek and kisses her deeply; he rolls his tongue into her mouth and pulls her close, and she closes her eyes and just lets herself taste him and feel him. Her body tingles with quintessence, and in the dim light of the room the marks on Shiro's body shine like stars.

She does not want to let him go, even for a moment, but as she comes down from the high of their love-making she realises just how sticky and sweaty she feels. She rubs her thumb against Shiro's cheek and kisses him softly on the lips.

"I should go and clean up," she whispers.

Shiro grumbles against her lips before he lets her go reluctantly, and she slips out of the bed and crosses to the washroom. She glances back to see Shiro lying on his back, staring at the ceiling, his body still glowing faintly in the dim light.

She carries a lamp into the bathing room and freshens up in the flickering light, and then stands and looks at her reflection in the mirror.

She can hardly believe that Shiro is lying outside, naked, on the bed. They just… she really… she shakes her head. It's all a dream, surely. A delightful, delirious fantasy that she will wake up from at any moment. But her cheek marks still glow; the rest of her body still tingles all over. There's no mistaking it. It really happened.

She grins so hard her cheeks hurt, and even though she is alone with her reflection she still covers her face with her hands. She looks back at herself in the mirror, still disbelieving, awash with happiness she cannot express. Shiro is outside. Waiting for her. Adoring and sweet and lovely and perfect.

She takes a deep breath and composes herself as best she can, and steps back out into the bedroom. Shiro sits on the edge of the bed, and as she emerges he stands up and crosses the room to take his turn in the washroom. He pauses on his way past to kiss her, and she manages to hide her ecstatic grin until the bathing room door closes behind him.

The fire has sunk low in the grate, and Allura feeds it a few more logs as she waits for Shiro to finish in the washroom. She finds his vest on the floor and pulls it over her head, in lieu of a nightgown, and settles back into the bed. Shiro re-emerges wearing only his under garments, and he climbs into the bed beside her. The three dots on his bare chest shimmer white - still glowing, still flooded with quintessence - a reminder of just how intensely and completely they gave themselves to each other.

Allura shuffles closer to him, and he opens his arms to her and she sinks into his embrace. Her fingers trace idle lines over his chest, and Shiro runs his hand down her arm and watches her, his eyes sparkling and warm.

"What?" she asks.

"I just can't believe this really happened," Shiro says. "It feels like a dream."

The comment is so exactly in line with her own thinking that Allura smiles. She runs her fingers through Shiro's beard and takes in the soft, awed expression on his face.

"Have you been dreaming of this?" she asks, although she suspects she knows the answer to that question.

Shiro nods. "For a while now." He blushes as he admits it, and twirls her hair absently around his finger.

"Have you?" he asks.

Before, she might have been shy of admitting the truth. But now… she wants him to know just how much she craved this.

"I used to dream of this even back in Oriande," she confesses. "But back then it was just a sort of… passing whim."

"And now it's not?" There's anxiety in his voice, even though he tries to keep his tone light. Sweet, lovely Takashi; still so worried that this isn't real, that she is just toying with him. She doesn't have words to answer him, or tell him just how much it means to her. Instead, she meets his gaze and shakes her head. She leans up to kiss him - softly, delicately - trying to fill the simple gesture with as much warmth and affection as she can.

"In the dwarf delve," she asks, "would you have kissed me behind that bookshelf?"

He chuckles, and amusement dances in his eyes. "I was thinking about it, yeah."

She cannot help but grin at having her suspicions confirmed. "I would have kissed you too, you know."

He beams at her, and presses his lips to hers, one finger tucked under her chin. She will never grow tired of the taste of him, or the overwhelming gentleness in his eyes as he pulls back to look at her. She wants to keep him by her side for as long as she can.

"I want you with me, when we get to Olkar," she says.

"With you like this?" Shiro asks. "Or just with you in general."

She shrugs. "Can't I have both?"

"You really want me with you? In all your meetings and everything?"

He looks so adorably uncertain - so doubtful of his own worth, even as she lies in his arms and presses her hands to his bare skin. Her marks still glow with the after-effects of his touch, and yet he still asks her if he truly matters to her. Allura tries to give him a stern look, but it gets lost in the warmth of her affection.

"Takashi… we are lying naked in a bed together," she says. "It should no longer come as a surprise to you that I like having you around."

He laughs at that - and the uncertainty drops away, and his eyes sparkle with joy. It looks beautiful on him. His arms tighten around her as he draws her closer to his body and brushes a kiss to her forehead.

"Alright, fair enough," he chuckles. "But now I'm wondering what you see in me, exactly. Since it's clearly not my brains."

Allura giggles helplessly. "It's lots of things."

"Like what?" he asks.

She shakes her head. "You first," she teases, as if he didn't already compliment her pretty thoroughly downstairs. That was what started it all in the first place.

"No way," Shiro says. "I already said _plenty_ of nice things about you. Now it's your turn."

"Alright, alright," she chuckles. She will tell him, of course. She will list everything: his smile, always so warm and soft; his humour, and the way he can always make her laugh. The kindness he showed her in her darkest moments. She has so many things she can tell him - so many things she can thank him for. And now she can thank him the way she truly wants to: with soft kisses, with gentle hands run through his hair; with teasing fingers dancing over his skin.

She settles into his arms as she talks, and Shiro smiles fondly down at her, a strand of her hair caught between his fingers. He makes a joke of things, of course; and then when she laughs he kisses her through smiles, and presses his lips to her cheeks and forehead whilst she curls delightedly around him. He takes her hand and entwines their fingers together, and Allura kisses his fingertips and smiles at the way their hands seem to fit so perfectly together. The fire burns low and the moon rises beyond the window, and they stay up and talk and laugh, and share kisses and gentle touches in the darkness, lit only by the moonlight. Allura forgets that she is tired; forgets every weariness and anxiety of the road. There is only Shiro, and the way he gazes at her so adoringly, and it is a long time before she feels like sleeping.

**Author's Note:**

> may be showing my "magical ritual energy sharing sex shenanigans" kink a bit here BUT OH WELL YOU READ IT YOU CAN'T UNREAD IT *throws rose petals, tap dances away*


End file.
